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Open access e-Journal
Earth Science India, eISSN: 0974 – 8350 Vol. 4(III), July, 2011, pp. 143-158 http://www.earthscienceindia.info/
143
? Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene Microvertebrates from the Upper
Siwalik Subgroup of Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Som Nath Kundal1 and G.V.R. Prasad
2
1Department of Geology, CAS, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-221005
2Department of Geology, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
E.mail: [email protected]
Abstract
Microvertebrate remains comprising isolated fish teeth and spines, lacertilian dentaries,
unidentified mammalian claws and phalanges and a couple of astragali referable to Rattus
(Rodentia) are being described for the first time from the mudstone horizon immediately
underlying the geochronologically dated (2.48 m.y., Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene) bentonitized
tuff band of the Nagrota Formation (=Pinjore Formation, Upper Siwalik Subgroup) at Barakhetar,
Khanpur, Anandpur and Uttarbehani localities, Jammu province, India. The age and
palaeoecology of the recoverd fauna has also been discussed in the present paper.
Key words: Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene, Microvertebrates, Nagrota Formation, Upper
Siwalik Subgroup, Jammu, India
Introduction
Geological succession in the southernmost part of the Himalaya were deposited in the
Himalayan Foreland basin. These foreland successions comprise the Subathu Group (Late
Paleocene to Middle Eocene), the Murree Group (?Late Oligocene to Early Miocene) and the
Siwalik Group (Miocene to Late Pleistocene), in ascending order. The ~7km thick Siwalik rocks
are exposed all along the Sub-Himalaya. The Siwalik succession is known in the world mainly
for the mega vertebrates and is also called as storehouse of vertebrate fossils. Much work has
been carried out on Siwalik megavertebrates in the past as compared to microvertebrates in
different parts of India, Nepal and Pakistan. Some of the most significant works carried out on
the Siwalik microvertebrates are by Black, 1972; Dutta, 1975; Chopra and Jacobs, 1978;
Vasishat, 1979; Flynn, 1982; Flynn et al., 1985, 1986; Gaur, 1986; Flynn et al., 1990; Barry and
Flynn, 1990; Patnaik, 1990, 1995; Kotlia, 1996; Patnaik and Sahni, 1996; Patnaik et al., 1996;
Patnaik, 1997; Patnaik, 1997; Patnaik and Schleich, 1997, 1998; Patnaik, 2001, 2002; Mathur
and Kotlia, 2002; Cheema et al., 2003; Kotlia and Samwal, 2004; Kotlia, 2008; Sehgal and
Patnaik, 2011).
The microvertebrates known so far from the Upper Siwalik deposits of Jammu area were
reported by Suneja and Kumar (1979), Suneja et al., (1980), Rage et al. (2001), Gupta and
Prasad (2001) and Prasad et al., (2005). Suneja and Kumar (1979) discovered microfossil
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yielding horizons within the Upper Siwalik sequence of Jammu. The faunal remains reported by
them mainly comprised reptiles and fishes. The repitlian fauna was represented by over a dozen
conical spike-like teeth of Crocodilia. The fish remains consisted of teeth, numerous vertebrae,
pectorl spines, and supra-occipital parts. Suneja et al. (1980) reported fish remains with other
microfossils from a site near village Khanpur in Jammu district, but did not describe these
findings. Rage et al. (2001) described the first amphibians and some colubroid snakes from the
Siwaliks beds of Jammu. Amphibians were represented by anurans, a possible ranid, and some
non-ranid frogs, squamates by the lone lizard, Varanus sp. and snakes by three taxa:
Acrochordus dehmi (Acrochordidade), an indeterminate colubridae, and another colubrid or an
elapid. Varanus sp. and A. dehmi were recovered from the Upper Miocene Ramnagar Member,
whereas the anurans and colubroid snakes came from the Upper Pliocene Labli Member.
Recently, Gupta and Prasad (2001) described micromammals from two levels in the Labli
Member (Uttarbehani Formation of Gupta and Verma, 1998) lying 910 m and 760 m below a
geochronologically dated bentonitized tuff band. The micromammal fauna from the Labli
Member is represented by cf. Mus flynni, cf. Parapelomys robertsi, Golunda kelleri, Golunda
sp., Dilatomys pilgrim, Millardia sp. indet., Abudhabia cf. A. kabulense, Rhizomyides sivalensis
and an insectivore Soricidae gen. et. sp. indet. More recently, Prasad et al., (2005) recovered a
left mandibular fragment bearing M1-M3 of Golunda from the mudstones underlying a
bentonitized tuff band exposed 0.375 km NW of Barakhetar village, Jammu. Following this,
Bhandari and Kundal (2008) recovered sixteen species of ostracods from the same mudstone
horizon exposed at Barakhetar. A detailed study on Stable Carbon Isotope analysis of pedogenic
carbonates of two sections i.e. Purmandal-Uttarbehani and Jammu-Nandni has been carried out
by Singh et al., (2011) and provides an important link to the extensive palaeovegetational studies
done in the Pakistan and Nepal Siwaliks. The present collection of microvertebrates was
recovered from a mudstone horizon lying just below the geochronologically dated (2.48 my)
bentonitized tuff band exposed at Barakhetar, Khanpur, Anandpur and Uttarbehani localities
(Fig. 1).
Stratigraphy
A number of workers contributed to the general stratigraphy of the Siwalik Group both in
India and Pakistan. These include Falconer (1868), Lydekkar (1883), Pilgrim (1910, 1913,
1934), Colbert (1935), Lewis (1937), Opdyke et al. (1979), Azzaroli and Napoleone (1982) and
Johnson et al. (1982, 1985), among others (Table-1). The local stratigraphy of the Siwalik
succession of Jammu region has been worked out by Ranga Rao et al. (1988), Gupta and Verma
(1988), Agarwal (1993) and Gupta (1997, 2000).
Ranga Rao et al. (1979) gave a stratigraphic classification for the Jammu Siwaliks on the
basis of heavy minerals, lithology and palaeontology. They divided the Siwalik Group into the
Lower Siwalik (argillaceous unit, arneaous unit), Middle Siwalik (sandstone dominant unit,
alteration of sandstone and clay unit and pebbly sandstone unit) and the Upper Siwalik
(Purmandal Sandstone, Nagrota Formation and Boulder Conglomerate). Ranga Rao et al. (1988,
1993) studied three sections of the Upper Siwalik Subgroup of Jammu region i.e., Purmandal –
Uttarbehani, Jammu-Nagrota, Balli, and some sections of the Upper and Middle Siwalik
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Subgroups exposed in Samba – Mansar area in detail. Ranga Rao et al. (1988) redesignated Tawi
Conglomerate as Boulder Conglomerate retaining the other two formational names of Ranga Rao
et al. (1979). They marked the Gauss–Matuyama boundary at 2.48 m.y. on the basis of
correlation with the magnetic polarity time scale. They suggested that the Upper Siwalik
Subgroup ranges in age from 4.92 to 0.42 m.y. in Purmandal–Uttarbehani section with the
Purmandal Sandstone from 4.92 to 3.90 m.y. and and the Nagrota Formation from 3.90 to 0.6
m.y. The formational boundaries (between Purmandal and Nagrota) of Samba–Mansar,
Jabarkhad near Nurpur and Patialio Rao areas were considered diachronous based on magnetic
polarity (Ranga Rao, 1993). Agarwal (1993) classified the Nagrota Formation of Ranga Rao et
al. (1988) into three members viz., NA, NB, and NC on the basis of lithological characters and
remote sensing spectral analysis. Gupta and Verma (1988) suggested a new lithostratigraphic
classification for the Siwalik succession of Jammu region and provided a checklist of fauna
recovered from these lithounits. According to this classification, the Siwalik sequence of Jammu
is divisible into the following formations in ascending order: Mansar Formation (Lower
Siwalik); Dewal Formation (Middle Siwalik); Mohargarh Formation (Middle Siwalik);
Uttarbehani Formation, and Dughor Formation (Upper Siwalik). Gupta (1997) further classified
the Mansar Formation into the lower Dodenal Member consisting of an arenaceous dominant
facies and an upper Ramnagar Member representing claystone, siltstone and sandstone
alternations, and the Uttarbehani Formation into Labli Member and Marikhui Member. The
present collection is from the NB Member of the formation.
Fig.1: A. Range of Siwalik hills (Pakistan, India and Nepal); B.Stratigraphic sub-divisions of
Jammu Siwalik showing microvertebrate yielding sites.
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Table-1: Classification and correlation of Siwalik in Indian Sub-continent.
Methods and Material
Samples were collected from a mudstone horizon of the Nagrota Formation (NB
Member) immediately underlying the geochronologically dated bentonitized tuff band (2.48
m.y.) exposed around Barakhetar (100Kg), Uttarbehani (100kg), Khanpur (75kg) and Anandpur
(100kg) areas of Jammu region for microvertebrate recovery. The soft samples were screen-
washed with different sets of sieves after immersing in water for an hour or so. Most of the
microvertebrates were collected using 60 mesh (ASTM) sieves. Harder mudstone samples were
screen-washed using kerosene-water method. In this method, the samples are dried in sunlight or
in an oven to remove the moisture and then soaked in kerosene for 3 to 4 hours. The kerosene is
then decanted and the samples are kept immeresed in water for an hour. Because of the
differences in the specific gravity of water and oil, water forces its way into the samples by
expelling kerosene out resulting in the breakdown of samples into slurry which is then screen-
washed in running water. The screen-washed residue so obtained then dried and sorted under the
microscope for microfossils. Employing these techniques more than fifty specimens of fish teeth
and spines, two of lacertilian, one Incerate sedis, two mammalian claw and several mammalian
phalanges along with a good assemblage of ostracodes and charophytes was recovered. The
microfossils so obtained were cleaned for photomicrography. The specimens described in this
paper are deposited in the Vertebrate Palaeontological Laboratory (VPL), Department of
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Geology, Centre of Advanced Study, Banaras Hindu Universty, Varanasi under catalogue
numbers BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/
Systematic Palaeontology
Class Osteichthyes
Infraclass Teleostei
Subclass Actinopterygii
Superorder Ostariophysi Sagemehl, 1885
Order Cypriniformes Bleeker, 1859/60
Family Cyprinidae Bonaparte, 1840
Gen. et sp. indet. (Plate 1, Fig.s 1a-c, 5; 2a-c, 4a-b; 3a-c,)
Referred Material:
BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/100-103, 113; 23 isolated Cyprinid teeth, Morphotype I
BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/104-106, 110-111; 12 isolated Cyprinid teeth, Morphotype II
BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/107-109; 18 isolated Cyprinid teeth, Morphptype III
Locality: One km northwest of Khanpur villages, 0.4km North of Barakhetar village, 0.5 km
north of Uttarbehani across the River Devak, Jammu District, Jammu and Kashmir.
Stratigraphic Horizon: Mudstone immediately underlying the Upper Siwalik bentonitized tuff
band of the Nagrota Formation, Upper Siwalik Subgroup.
Descrption: About fifty isolated pharyngeal teeth are described here as three morphotypes
differentiated on the basis of morphology.
Morphotype I: Teeth have swollen base and a subglobular outline. The crown terminates
distally in a short, conical hook. The masticatory area below the terminal hook is slightly
depressed and corrugated.
Morphotype II: These teeth have less elongated and laterally flattened crowns, which terminate
distally in relatively less developed hook. Below the terminal cusp, occurs a depressed
masticatory area bounded on either side by small worn cusplets.
Morphotype III: These teeth are broader than teeth of morphotype I and II. The crowns are
anteroposteriorly compressed and terminate distally in a short and blunt hook. In worn teeth, this
terminal hook is nearly flattened. The masticatory area is neither depressed nor corrugated. In
these teeth, the crown is bounded on either side by elongated crests enclosing a central shallow
depression.
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Morphotype I teeth may be from the anterior part of the principal series, morphotype II
from the median or lateral series, and morphotype III from the posterior part of the principal
series.
Remarks: Isolated cyprinid teeth have been reported from many Miocene and Pliocene deposits
of Europe and Asia. Scardinius, Tinca, Rutilus, Palaeoleuciscus, Tarsichthys, Palaeocarassius
and Barbus are some of the reported fossil taxa (Nakajima, 1985; Gaudant, 1989, 1994, 1997,
2000; Nakajima et al., 2001; Gaudant et al., 2002). The present teeth differ from the pharyngeal
teeth of Scardinius and Palaeoleuciscus in masticatory area, which is long and narrow and
bounded anteriorly by a crest with 5 to 6 coarse tubercles in the latter forms. In Tinca, on the
other hand, the masticatory area is triangular in shape compared to present teeth. Rutilus has
massive, stocky teeth with reduced terminal hook and without a distint masticatory area. In
overall crown morphology, the Upper Siwalik cyprinid teeth are closely camparable to teeth
described as Cyprinidae gen. et sp. indet. from the Ladakh Molasse (Singh, 2004), and to those
of Tarsichthys, Palaeocarassius and Barbus. However, in specific development of masticatory
area below the terminal hook and the masticatory groove, the Upper Siwalik teeth differ from the
latter three taxa. The present teeth differ from those known from the Ladakh Molasse in the
absence of a central crest between the two marginal crests of the masticatory area is probable that
the Siwalik cyprinid teeth may represent a new taxon, but the absence of complete dentition does
not permit designation of a new taxon at this stage.
Class Reptilia
Order Squamata
Suborder Lacertilia Own, 1842
Lacertilia indet. (Plate 1, Fig. 13a-b)
Referred Material: BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/121-122, fragmentary dentaries.
Locality: 0.6 km northwest of Anandpur village, Jammu District, Jammu and Kashmir.
Stratigraphic Position: Mudstone horizon immediately underlying the bentonitized tuff band of
the Nagrota Formation.
Description: The dentary is 1.36 mm long fragile and poorly preserved with broken ventral. The
labial side is smooth, slightly convex, and bears no mental foramen. The lingual surface bears
five closely spaced teeth and three sockets of pleurodont nature. The teeth are cylindrical or
tubular in outline with open spherical crown apices. There are no cusps on the crowns. The teeth
project 1/3rd of their length beyond the parapet of dentary, which is in a straight line. The dental
ridge is broken so the dental gutter is indistinct.
Remarks: Fragmentary nature of the dentary does not allow its identification beyond the
subordinal level.
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Reptilia Incertae sedis (Plate 1, Fig. 15)
Referred Material: BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/124, a poorly preserved maxillary fragment.
Locality: 0.6 km northwest of Anandpur village, Jammu District, Jammu and Kashmir state,
India.
Stratigraphic postion: Mudstone horizon immediately underlying the bentonitized tuff band of
the Nagrota Formation.
Description: The maxillary fragment has a swollen tooth-bearing surface with three acrodont
teeth and two sockets. The bases of teeth are implanted in a rim at the top of the jaw projecting
slightly above it. The labial side of the maxilla is concave, whereas the lingual surface is
convex. Lingually, the base of the maxilla is produced into a thin flange.
Remarks: Due to the fragmentary nature of material no definite taxonomic assignment is
possible.
Class Mammalia
Order Rodentia Bowdich, 1821
Family Muridae Gray, 1821
Subfamily Murinae
Genus Rattus Fischer, 1803
cf. Rattus sp. (Plate 1, Fig. 18a-18b)
Referred Material: BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/129-130, right and left astragali
Locality: One km northwest of Khanpur village, Jammu District, Jammu and Kashmir state,
India.
Stratigraphic Position: Mudstone horizon immediately underlying the bentonitized tuff band of
the Nagrota Formation.
Description: The astragali have short, broad, and deep tibial trochlea, and sharp and high
trochlear crests. The neck is oriented obliquely to the trochlear head. The lateral trochlear crest is
higher than the medial crest but both are parallel to each other. The medial face of trochlea
slopes medioplantarly and is nearly vertical. The trochlear groove is sloping distomedially. The
fibular facet of the astragalar body is laterodistally extended with a small distal shelf. There is no
superior astragalar foramen, but a distinct astragalar canal is present in the interosseous sulcus on
the plantar side. The calcaneoastragalar facet is concave, oriented obliquely to the long axis,
transversely wider than long. The two lateral margins of this facet are in the form of convex
ridges forming a deep groove between them. The large astragalar body is separated from the
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astragalar head by a narrow and long neck, which is slightly medially bent in dorsal view. A
“tear-shaped” sustentacular facet, located on the plantar surface of the neck, is oriented obliquely
to the long axis of the neck and converges with medial facet of the astragalar body
proximomedially. The sustentacular facet is separated from the lateral facet of the astragalar
body by the interosseous sulcus and distally from the navicular facet of the astragalar head. It is
raised relative to the surface of the neck. In the distal view, the astragalar head is oval in outline,
higher laterally than medially and extends proximally half the length of the neck on the medial
side. In the distal view, the head is relatively more developed on the lateral side than on the
medial side.
Remarks: The astragali resemble those of Rattus rattus (Szalay, 1985; fig. 9) and R. norvegicus
in having a short and broad trochlear body with high lateral and low medial crests parallel to
each other, long obliquely oriented neck, deep trochlear groove, obliquely oriented
calcaneoastragalar facet, "tear-shaped" sustentacular facet merging proximally with the medial
facet but distally separated from the astragalar head, laterally more developed astragalar head,
and in lacking the superior astragalar foramen. However differ from R. norvegicus in the
proximal extension of medial head and in the presence of a plantar astragalar foramen. In the
absence of superior astragalar foramen and proximal extension of medial head, the present form
is closer to R. rattus. Among the fossil taxa, Prodiacodon (Leptictidae: Leptictida) from the
Torrejonian (Paleocene) of New Mexico (Szalay, 1966) compares very well with the present
specimen. Both the taxa have deep tibial trochlea dorsally, fairly high and sharply defined lateral
trochlear crest and equally sharp medial crest, the deepest point of trochlea on the medial side of
the body, no superior astragalar foramen but a plantar astragalar foramen, concave, large,
isosceles triangle-like calcaneoastragalar facet, “tear-shaped” sustentacular facet with a pointed
proximal end, laterally broad astragalar head tapering in a medial and proximal direction. The
close similarity of tarsal characters between the Paleocene leptictid and a rodent-like form is not
unusual as early rodents are supposed to have been derived from a leptictid-like morphotype
(Szalay, 1985).
The present form is also comparable to Sciurus in having a vertical tibial facet, the lateral
fibular facet slightly extending distolaterally, no superior astragalar foramen and presence of
plantar astragalar foramen, astragalar body not extending on to the neck, concave and steeply
inclined calcaneoastragalar facet. Sciurus differs from the present specimen in having a
sustentacular facet confluent with medial tibial facet and joining the medial part of the head more
than on the lateral side leaving no groove between itself and the astragalar head on the medial
side, and convex and concave medial and lateral faces, respectively, in the distal view,
Before arriving at a definitive conclusion on the affinity of present specimen to Rattus,
comparison with the astragali of other murid rodents, such as Golunda, Millardia, Cremnomys
etc. is necessary. In the absence of comparative fossil and recent material of these taxa, the
present specimen is provisionally referred to Rattus. Earlier molars with affinity to Rattus have
been recorded from the Pinjor Formation of Chandigarh (Gaur, 1986) and from the Early
Pleistocene Siwalik sequence of Pabbi Hills, Pakistan (Jacobs, 1978). Musser (1987) transferred
these molars to Hadromys.
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Functional analysis of astragali: The high and sharp crests of astragalar trochlea sharply
restrict all transverse movements at the upper ankle joint (UAJ). A short-grooved astragalar
trochlea indicates that flexion (dorsiflexion) and extension (plantar flexion) were predominant
movements at UAJ. Isolated sustentacular facet on the astragalus suggests that this facet on both
the calcaneum and astragalus was closely bound together and little movement occurred through
their articulation. Laterally enlarged head indicates that relatively more compressive force was
transmitted through this side of astragalus. Therefore, some kind of eversion was possible in the
foot. Extremes of plantar flexion was possible at the UAJ as evident from the absence of superior
astragalar foramen coupled with increased transverse stability as suggested by the increased
sharpness of the lateral border of tibial trochlea. In plantar flexion, when the tibia completely
covers the astragalar foramen, the foramen becomes a restrictive factor. Mammals not requiring
a complete plantar flexion bear a superior astragalar foramen. The astragalar foramen is
generally traversed by blood vessels. But in mammals that require restrictive plantar flexion
(where the tibia completely covers the astragalar trochlea during plantar flexion), the superior
astragalar foramen may be closed off with terminal blood vessels branching from plantar
astragalar foramen. On the whole, the tarsal morphology suggests mediolateral stability at the
UAJ and limited eversion of the foot favouring adaptations to terrestrial uneven substrate.
Palaeoecology and Age
The present study was aimed primarily at delineating the microfossil-bearing horizon just
above and below the bentonitized tuff band of the Nagrota Formation, which has been dated as
2.48 my. Several microfossil yielding horizons were identified during the course of the present
work and a limited number of specimens have been recovered from the fossiliferous sites. A
complete and clear picture of palaeoecology of the area will emerge only when a representative
sample of the palaeocommunities is obtained by bulk screen-washing of samples from all
microfossil yielding sites. Nevertheless, an outline of the palaeoecology of the studied Upper
Siwalik sections can be provided based on the fauna recovered during the present work. Majority
of the taxa recovered from the Upper Siwalik strata of the study area have living representatives
or closely related forms in the living fauna. The fossil evidence for the palaeoecological
inferences is also derived from ostracodes (Bhandari and Kundal, 2008) and charophytes (S.N.
Kundal unpublished work), apart from fishes, lizards and rodents.
Cyprinid fishes inhabit small rivulets, streams, ponds and in bodies of stagnant or
sluggish muddy waters. But a few of them prefer clean water bodies with sandy substrate. Extant
members of this family are known from streams and rivulets of the Himalayan region. Mathur
and Kotlia (2002) reported cyprinid remains from the Surai Khola Formation of Nepal and
referred them to Schizothorax, Labeo, Notropis and Oreinus. Palaeoecological reconstructions
based on micromammal assemblages are quite reliable as mammals are found confined to beds
of small lateral extent and deposited in a short period of time. Micromammals are very sensitive
to climatic changes and usually have small home ranges, which make them very useful climatic
indicators. Since most of the micromammals in the present collection resemble extant forms, the
palaeoecological inferences are based on the principle of actualism. Murids (rats and mice) are
considered to be among the most successful groups of living micromammals. They adapted
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themselves to many ecological conditions and show marked species diversity. Rodents preserved
usually with their skeletal remain close to the site of their intial accumulation; they have been
used here for a better resolution for palaeoecological reconstruction. The living members of
Rattus (R.meltada) and Golunda (G.ellioti) are known to live in crop fields, thickets and
bushlands or densely vegetated plains. In fact, all terrestrial habitats, from houses and rice fields
to marshy rain forest to edges of grasslands, are occupied by various species of Rattus. Presence
of fish fauna, lizards and rodents indicate that both fresh water and terrestrial conditionms
existed during the Pliocene-Pleistocene times.
As far as age is concerned, the bentonitized tuff band exposed in the Upper Siwalik
Subgroup, both in India and Pakistan, has been dated by various workers. Johnson et al. (1982)
gave a detailed account of bentonite and fission track ages of the zircon phenocrysts in the
Bentonite Tuff Band (BTB) and Tuffaceous Mudstone (TM) in the Siwalik Group of Jhelum,
Campellpore and Chinji-Nagri areas in Pakistan. They demarcated the boundary between the
Tatrot and Pinjor faunal zones at 2.48 Ma coincident with Gauss-Matuyama magnetozone
(Table-1). The change from Tatrot fauna to the Pinjor fauna has been shown to occur at 2.47 Ma
based on significant changes in the faunal composition characterised by the appearance of Equus
and Elephas, and cervids with antlers near the top of the Gauss magnetic epoch. Azzaroli and
Napoleon (1982) have also fixed Gauss magnetozone and the Tatrot-Pinjor boundary at the
contact of Gauss-Matuyama magnetozone (2.48 Ma) near Pinjor in India. Yokoyama et al.
(1987) and Mehta et al. (1993) suggested conflicting ages of 1.6+0.2 Ma and 1.59+0.32 Ma
respectively for the BTB at Purmandal in Jammu (India). However, Ranga Rao et al. (1988)
constrained the age of BTB by zircon fission track dating in Nagrota (=Khanpur) and Purmandal
sections at 2.31+0.54 Ma and 2.8+56 Ma, respectively. They calibrated the fission track ages by
magnetostratigraphy and correlation with global magnetic polarity time scale, and
biostratigraphy and vertebrate faunal analysis in these sections. The age determined by Ranga
Rao et al. (1988), and followed by Agarwal et al. (1993) supposedly marks the Gauss-Matuyama
transition at 2.48 Ma and coincides with the Tatrot-Pinjor boundary. It is intersting to note that
the first appearance datum of Lychnothamnus barbatus in Barakhetar and Purmandal sections
below the BTB (Bhatia et al., 2001) and in the inter-montane basin of Kashmir valley (as in the
Hirpur Formation, Karewa Group) is identical or synchronous viz., in the Late Pliocene, below
the volcanic ash bed dated at 2.4±0.4 Ma (vide Bhatia et al., 1998). Bhat et al. (2008) gave
details about the depositional origin of the Upper Siwalik bentonitized tuffaceous band of Jammu
province and suggested a lacustrine setting.
From the palaeoecological analysis of the recovered microvertebrate fauna and the
associated ostracodes (Bhandari and Kundal, 2008) and charophytes (S.N. kundal unpublished
work), it is apparent that there were two important palaeocommunities-1) aquatic and 2)
terrestrial. The aquatic community is mainly represented by lacustrine / paludal fauna and flora,
whereas the land community is known by wooded grassland and bushland taxa. The occurrence
of microvertebrates in the mudstone horizon just below the bentonitized tuff band (Fig. 2)
suggests that they are at least as old as the Upper Siwalik bentonitized tuff, i.e., 2.48m.y.
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Explanation of PLATE 1
1a. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/101 Cyprinid tooth, Morphotype I, lateral view
1b. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/102 Cyprinid tooth, Morphotype I, lateral view
1c. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/103 Cyprinid tooth, Morphotype I, lateral view
2a. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/104 Cyprinid tooth, Morphotype II, lateral view
2b. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/105 Cyprinid tooth, Morphotype II, lateral view
2c. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/106 Cyprinid tooth, Morphotype II, lateral view
3a. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/107 Cyprinid tooth, Morphotype III, lateral view
3b. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/108 Cyprinid tooth, Morphotype III, lateral view
3c. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/109 Cyprinid tooth, Morphotype III, lateral view
4a. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/110 Cyprinid tooth, Morphotype II, lateral view
4b. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/111 Cyprinid tooth, Morphotype II, lateral view
5. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/112 Cyprinid tooth, Morphotype I, lateral view
6. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/113 Fish tooth indet. , lateral view
7. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/114 Fish tooth indet. , lateral view
8. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/115 Fish tooth indet. , lateral view
9. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/116 Fish tooth indet. , lateral view
10. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/117 Fish tooth indet. , lateral view
11. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/118 Fish bone indet., lateral view
12a. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/119 Fragmentary fish spine of Siluriformes indet., lateral view
12b. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/120 Fish tooth indet. , lateral view
13a. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/121 Dentary of lacertilian indet., labial view
13b. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/122 Dentary of lacertilian indet., lingual view
14. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/123 Dentary of lacertilian indet., lingual view
15. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/124 Incertae sedis, lingual view
16a.BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/125 Isolated mammalian claw, lateral view
16.b BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/126 Isolated mammalian claw, lateral view
17a. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/127 Isolated mammalian claw, lateral view
17b. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/128 Isolated mammalian claw, lateral view
18a. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/129 Astragalus of cf. Rattus, dorsal view
18b. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/130 Astragalus of cf. Rattus, Plantar view
19a-h. BHU/GEOL/VPL/MV/131-138 Phlanges of Mammalia indet.
Scale bar equals 1mm
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Conclusion
The microvertebrates recovered from the mudstone horizon underlying the
geochronologically dated (2.48 m.y.) bentonitized tuff band (BTB) belong to two
palaecommunites: aquatic/lacustrine and terrestrial. The aquatic fauna is represented by fishes
while the terrestrial by lacertilians and rats. The recovered microfaunal assemblage is at least as
old as the bentonitized tuff band, i.e. 2.48 m.y. The fossiliferous mudstone was deposited under
the aquatic/lacustrine conditions. Acknowledgements: The author is thankful to Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi for financial
support under Fast Track Project (SR/FTP/ES-07/2008, P-45-10). The aurhor is also thankful to Professor G.M.
Bhat of Jammu Universty for constant encouragement, helping me in preparation of manuscript in the present form
and in the field as well in Laboratory. Thanks are also due to Profesor S. Kanji Lal, Banaras Hindu Universty for
helping and encouragement.
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